Expats in Kuwait cleaning up after massive rainstorms and floods

Following massive rainstorms which turned the desert into a flood plain, Kuwait’s infrastructure is still struggling to recover.

Expats and locals alike are suffering the after effects of huge storms which left the city struggling to contain the resulting floods. Worst hit was the city’s international airport, with a year’s worth of rain falling in just two days, with buildings including hospitals also hard hit and attempting to resume normal service. The emirate’s Ministry of Health’s emergency plan has been activated at all the city’s medical facilities, with engineers and technicians in attendance in case of structural issues.

The fierce storms and floods resulted in injuries to residents, all of whom were treated successfully in spite of the weather causing failures of drainage systems in one hospital’s casualty department. The ministry is now reassuring all Kuwaiti citizens and expatriates that the healthcare services’ emergency plans are up and running around the clock.

Over a year’s rainfall inundated the city during the initial storm, with the infrastructure unable to cope with the influx and accumulating flood waters causing damage to property as well as roads. At least one person is known to have died in the floods, causing the emirate’s prime minister to promise local officials would be held responsible for the continuing inability of the city’s drainage to deal with the huge influx of water.

Kuwait is no stranger to flash floods and mudslides caused by unusually violent rainstorms, as another such example of severe weather was recorded almost exactly a year ago, turning the desert and the city’s roads into rivers and causing damage as well as loss of life. For most of the city’s expat professionals, this latest event was a day off, giving those worst affected time to clear up after the deluge.